The
5.1-acre facility in GyeonggiProvince, along the country’s
northwest coast, is owned and operated by POSCO Energy, the nation’s largest
independent power producer. Construction began in late 2012 and was completed
earlier this year. The fuel cells run on natural gas converted to hydrogen and
also provide heat to the local district heating system.

“The
scale of this installation is contributing to the power and heating needs of an
urban population and generating the electricity in a highly efficient and
ultra-low emission profile that supports our national renewable portfolio
standard,” said Tae-Ho Lee, CEO of Gyeonggi Green Energy.

POSCO
and FuelCell Energy are planning another fuel cell project adjacent to a
railroad depot operated by the Seoul Metropolitan Rapid Transit Corp. That
19.6-MW facility, composed of seven 2.8-MW fuel cells, will provide power to
the depot and the local grid, in addition to district heating. Commercial
operation is expected by the end of this year. The facility is the first of
several fuel cell projects planned to comprise a total of 230 MW in the Seoul
area.

As with
the Gyeonggi facility, the fuel cells at the Seoul park will be manufactured by
POSCO under license from FuelCell Energy as part of POSCO’s drive to position
itself in the Korean clean energy market. POSCO is currently building a fuel
cell factory that is expected to begin operations in 2015 and have a capacity
of 100 MW per year.

South
Korea has been struggling to modernize and diversify its power sector for a
number of years. It is aiming to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by
2020, and has mandated that its largest utilities obtain 10% of their energy
from renewables by 2022.